Since the New Year, my partner and I have decided to go a little more Pescatarian (vegetarian’s who eat fish) at home; that way we can save a few dollars while grocery shopping and at the same time, eat a little healthier!

Last night I attempted a vegan/gluten free chickpea stew from Healthier Steps. It didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped but it was delicious all the same. But give it a try and let us know how it turned out for you; better yet if you have any recommendations for another awesome recipe, comment below.

Prep Time: 10min

Cook Time: 25min

Ready in: 40min

Ingredients

FOR: 6 SERVINGS

1 cup chick peas, dry or two-15 ounce cans chick peas, drained

1 tbsp olive oil, (1/4 cup water)

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 carrot, diced

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups liquid from boiled chickpeas, or water

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Per 100g

Energy: 400kcal/1672kJ

Fat: 8g

Protein: 20g

Carbohydrate: 65g

Instructions

If you are using dried chickpeas, sort, wash and soak them overnight. The next day drain and rinse chickpeas.

Cover with water about 2 inches above chickpeas and bring to boil on medium heat.

Lower heat to simmer and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Drain chickpeas and reserve 2 cups of liquid, set aside.

If using canned chickpeas, start at step 5.

Heat oil or water in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Berry Explosion Muffins

Have you ever been berry crazy? I mean crazy for berries? The health benefits of berries are enormous, and their rick colour and juicy flavours are definitely worth pining for. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – this treat has them all.

Baking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a large bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, almond flour, and baking powder and set aside.

In a cup, mix ground chia seeds with 1/2 cup water and let sit until it forms a gel, about 5 minutes. In a high-powered blender, combine white beans, pitted dates, banana, half of the thawed strawberries (leaving the other half to be put in the muffins whole), chia seed gel, and villa and almond extracts. Once blended, combine with the dry mixture and stir thoroughly until well combined.

Drain the remaining strawberries and sit in, along with the blueberries and raspberries, so they are evenly distributed throughout.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with the cupcake papers and, using a spoon, scoop in batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and serve warm.

To make cookies, drop batter by spoonfuls onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Congratulations to all of those who had gone for their next belt level! After taking the time to reflect on the ones who we tested I wanted to share with you my decision making process. And if you’re considering the next belt test, the time to start training is now! Read what we’ve just posted below and let us know if you have any questions.

So you want to go for your next belt level? It’s not that easy… well it is but only if you put in the work.

Every three to four months we host a belt exam. Within those three months (depending on your belt level) you are being taught and corrected on all of your techniques; whether it is your basic punches, kicks, blocks, and stances or your kumite (sparring), kata (patterns), or bunkai (self-defence tactics).

But other factors contribute to our decision process.

Attitude:

Your attitude plays a big role on our decision making. Someone who comes to class every time, ready to train, and puts in 110% within the hour has the right mindset. But sometimes we get that person in class who only goofs off, then that hour goes to waste and they think because they put in the right amount of time, they deserve a belt. Unfortunately we don’t work that way! (Sorry to break it to you)

Skill:

Each belt introduces a new technique while old ones get better and better. Like a fine wine, it just gets better with age.

Previous Experience:

Sometimes previous experience plays a role in your belt exam. If you had been training in another martial art, it can transcend and aid you in the belt exam process. But sometimes this only lasts for so long. There may be a point where you no longer excel and need to take a little more time to master the new techniques you’re learning.

How Often You Train:

How much do you actually practice? Seriously, ask yourself that question. After training for as long as we have, we can see who actually puts the time and effort in. Whether you train just the 2-3 days a week or you actually put in a fourth day or even an extra 10 minutes each and every day. It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, and remember… practice makes perfect!

Length of Time:

How long have you been training? Belt exams aren’t mandatory for everybody. A certain length of time is required before going for your next belt, but sometimes it takes a little longer for others or sometimes it takes less time. Contributing factors? All of the reasons listed above!

With the Fall fast approaching, we thought it would be better to prepare ahead of time before it gets too cold. That said, we’ve finally prepared our club’s sweater weather gear! Available in men’s, women’s, and youth.

You can browse through all of our Club’s swag below.

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Gym bags and custom orders are available upon request, contact Us for details.

Hello and thank-you once again for taking the time to read our club’s blog! Today I would like to share with you the immense impact we have been making with our Good Karma Summer Yoga program.

Each week we have been picking a different charity to raise money for. All together we have raised over $200.00 in just a couple of weeks, and with another month of Summer ahead of us we should be able to double – if not triple that number!

So far we have raised money for:

Worldvision – providing text books and emergency water supplies

National Service Dogs

The Rainbow Railroad

Medical Service Dogs for Autism

In the weeks to come, we hope to help:

Cambridge Food Bank

Little Friends Rescue

The Women’s Crisis Services

And more

You can join us every Tuesday evening from 6-7pm and Saturday morning from 10-11am and help make a bigger impact for these local charities!